Two Possible Reasons for BioShock Infinite's 2013 Delay

Has our trip to Columbia been pushed back because of multiplayer or GTA V?

BioShock Infinite was among the most anticipated games scheduled for release this fall. It's still shaping up to be one of the bigger launches of the year, it's just that year will be next year. Infinite's release was officially pushed back today from its scheduled date on October 16 until February 26, 2013. The reason for this is said to be because of a goal to make it as great as can be, and while I don't doubt there is a desire to do that, there may be other factors which contributed to the decision to delay the game's release by four months.

A message to fans from developer Irrational Games' creative director, Ken Levine, was distributed to the press and posted online today. In it he claims that, since announcing the October release date in March, the team realized "that some specific tweaks and improvements will make Infinite into something even more extraordinary. Therefore, to give our talented team the time they need, we've decided to move the game's release to February 26, 2013. We wanted to let our loyal (and very patient!) fans know this as soon as possible.

"I won't kid you: BioShock Infinite is a very big game, and we're doing things that no one has ever done in a first-person shooter. We had a similar experience with the original BioShock, which was delayed several months as our original ship date drew near. Why? Because the Big Daddies weren't the Big Daddies you've since come to know and love. Because Andrew Ryan's golf club didn't have exactly the right swing. Because Rapture needed one more coat of grimy Art Deco. The same principle now applies to BioShock Infinite."

What this means beyond the fact that we won't be playing the game until 2013 is it will not be appearing at this year's E3 or Gamescom as it would have if it were releasing in October. Levine said their preference is to use the time that would be spent preparing for these events on developing the actual game, which is an understandable sentiment. The extra development time, both as a result of the delay and not having to create new trailers or demos for this summer's events, should help to result in a better game.

Levine's statement made no mention of the BioShock game for Vita announced at E3 2011. He said last year it was going to be a "different project," one "built from the ground up" for the platform, although by October no progress had been made and he acknowledged the possibility the game could be developed externally. At this point, it's looking doubtful the game will ever be made as it will have to first wait for Infinite to be completed which now will not be the case until early next year.

In a recent Wired interview, Levine described the public announcement of an October 16 release date as "great, because now we have an end date and we can know when it's time to put pencils down. You can keep going forever, honestly. I could work on this game for another 20 years and keep polishing it and making it better. But at some point -- and this wasn't decided by our publisher, this was my decision -- you need to say 'this is the date.' It helps keep the team focused on finishing it, knowing they have a constraint. I always think you work the hardest when you have constraints because that sort of helps you define your task."

Between that and the drip feed of information from the game's PR in recent months, the decision to delay Infinite is likely only a recent decision. But is it only happening because there is an opportunity to make the game even better?

One alternative is Irrational is busy at work developing some kind of multiplayer functionality. Shortly after Infinite was first announced, Levine said no decisions had been made regarding multiplayer. In other words, the idea of multiplayer in and of itself is not objectionable to Irrational (which has made multiplayer games like SWAT 4, Freedom Force, and Tribes: Vengeance in the past), but it has to have a solid idea -- simple deathmatch and CTF won't suffice.

"I will say that we experiment with things, but for us we are never interested in making a multiplayer mode you could just play in some other game," Levine said at the time. "Because, A) that's not creatively interesting and B), financially, you're wasting your time. They're going to go play Halo. They're going to go play Call of Duty."

Perhaps it finally came up with an idea that worked and felt it would be worth waiting a few extra months to implement it. Backing up the idea that some sort of multiplayer functionality will be in the game -- whether it be of the competitive or cooperative sort, or even something that doesn't have you directly playing alongside other players -- is a recent Irrational job posting for a network engineer (as pointed out by superannuation). It specifically mentions the new hire will "help us with the networking aspects of BioShock Infinite." Irrational was also previously looking to hire a network programmer (also spotted by superannuation), another position that would suggest work was being done on some kind of multiplayer mode.

What may have also fueled the decision to delay Infinite is Grand Theft Auto V. The game is still without a release date, and with Rockstar coming to own the April/May release window thanks to the likes of Grand Theft Auto IV, Red Dead Redemption, L.A. Noire, and (this year) Max Payne 3, it looked at one point as if GTA V could be released during that window in 2013. However, it's the month of October that the franchise has traditionally called home. The original GTA was released in Europe in October 1997; GTA 2 followed in October 1999 (on PlayStation; on PC it came out at the end of September); GTA III in October 2001; Vice City in October 2002; San Andreas in October 2004; Liberty City Stories in October 2005; and Vice City Stories in October 2006. The exceptions to this are few and far between; GTA IV would have been out in that window if not for technical problems and a contract dictating the 360 version could not be released before the PS3 one, hence the delay until April 2008.

With that in mind, it would stand to reason that October would be the target for GTA V's release. Although there may not be a complete overlap of the audience for Infinity and GTA V, it's possible Take-Two (which owns Irrational and Rockstar) didn't want them potentially competing against one another so directly. The hardcore audience will be there for both titles no matter what, but with so many other titles coming out toward the end of the year (Assassin's Creed III, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, and Halo 4 being among the big ones), not sticking both games out there at roughly the same time improves the odds of each one luring in more casual consumers at launch.

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter pointed out in an investors note today that Take-Two did not update its guidance for the current fiscal year, which calls for earnings of more than $2. Pachter says it's unlikely this could be achieved without the release of a GTA game before the end of the year. He suggested that when Rockstar indicated it would be ready to release the game for October, Irrational was given the option by Take-Two of spending extra development time on Infinite.

GTA's release and the addition of multiplayer are not mutually exclusive theories: It's possible both are players in causing the delay. Alternatively, neither may have played any role and it really is only a matter of making Infinite better, although that strikes me as improbable given what Levine told Wired not long ago. With Take-Two's quarterly earnings report coming up on May 22 and E3 taking place in early June, we should be hearing more about GTA V very soon if it is coming this year. If not, the first half of 2013 is looking like it will have a pair of big game launches coming from Take-Two.

Comments (27)

Multiplayer might actually be worth it.

Personally, I'm really hoping there is some element of multiplayer in Bioshock Infinite.

I really liked the multiplayer in Bioshock 2, it just suffered heavily from networking issues and framerate drops. If it had been more polished (and they had possibly not outsourced the multiplayer to another developer to produce >_>), it would have been fantastic.

Oh, come on Ken...

What a stupid name

One wonders what forces made them hold back after adding the word infinite. Why not make it Bioshock Infinite Plus Infinity! Anyway, the Shock series reached its pinnacle in System Shock 2. The Bioshock games have merit, but they don't hold a candle to SS2. I'll also never understand Irrational's seeming insistence to make all characters in the Bio series look like they're plastic figurines, and they're animated as stiffly as they look.

less sophisticated audience?

You are clearly a jerk off for making such a comment.I guess there are millions among millions of people that are the"less sophisticated audience".I tell you what,feel free to pass on GTA V ans what for next Wii Sports or Mario game to come out on Wii or the Pe-U

You Post To Argue His Point

Failure to capitalize in the title, spacing issues in your post, entire missing letters at the beginning of words, and the use of such wonderful commentary as "jerk off" and childish name calling for a system that isn't even available. Then, you don't even make an arguement on your part in your post.

On behalf of all the folks who play GTA and Bioshock, please stop "helping".

@Ogredjinn

NEXT TIME DON'T RELEASE TRAILERS!!!!

NEXT TIME DON'T RELEASE TRAILERS IF THEY ARE GOING TO BE RELEASE IN THE NEXT 2 YEARS!!! I UNDERSTAND THE PUSH BACK BUT THIS GAME IS PUSH BACK FOR 2 YEARS!!! NOT 2 MONTHS,NOT 8 MONTHS BUT 2 YEARS!!! ONCE AGAIN, IF YOUR COMPANYS BELIEVES THAT YOUR GOING TO PUSH BACK YOUR GAMES, THEN DON'T RELEASE THE FUCKING TRAILORS!!! FUCK!!!

Maybe

I doubt Infinite's been delayed to make room for an October GTA5 release. Take-Two already has Borderlands 2 coming out in September, if they were to delay Infinite to create less competition for one of their other games, it would be that one.

here's hoping...

It sukcs that I have to wait a bit longer for Infinite...but I'm hoping the extra time REALLY does polish up the game nicely and make it super sweet!! I LOVE the first two and cannot wait for the new one!!

Wrong, 1up.com

It is not two possible reasons. It is only one reason.... Multiplayer for GTAV!!!

Seriously though, It could be just polish and nothing to do with anything else. Who knows what they've noticed that needs tweaking or improvement. Work on it some more if you have to. Don't release it and try to patch it over and over again for months.

Great Article

I would rather...

...Have the game be released a few months later, than have it be released buggy/lackluster. So please, take all the time you need to make the game as great as it can be. As for multiplayer? I dunno, I don't think the game needs it, though, it could be interesting to have something playing off of the civil unrest, players taking the roles of combatants from each side? In either event, if you are going to add a multiplayer, put some time into it. Don't just throw something together and say 'Ok! we have multiplayer now!'. The game honestly doesnt need it, bioshock 2 didnt need it. What I am trying to say, if you feel the need to do a multiplayer, do it right.

oh great

please no to multiplayer

the first bioshock didn't have it. bioshock 2 didn't need it! The last thing I want is a lackluster/unwanted multiplayer mode. even if they make it worh my while I'll have the fear they'll put an online pass pay wall behind it. Please just let this time be needed for polish and refinement.

$$$

Every game gets multiplayer. no exceptions. Even if it is just sloppily tacked on as an afterthought. This way, people won't trade the game in. They will just play it forever and ever. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to petitioning for co-op multiplayer for the next Tetris game.

I think

Ken Levine has a lot more input than you think. If there is multiplayer, it'll be like he said, and like nothing we've ever seen before. I can practically guarentee that the delay won't be for a worthless multiplayer.

It's likely much simpler than that

More likely, Bioshock infinite was delayed so that it wouldn't get overlooked during the always-crowded holiday season. There is no shame in such things, but it'd be nice if devs and publishers would just say that instead of giving us a line about tweaking and polishing. Those are likely symptoms of the delay, not their cause.

I remember

I hope

Ken didn't cave and put unneeded multiplayer into Bioshock Infinite. That alone may make me wait til the game is cheaper, it was going to be a day 1 purchase because i wanted to support Ken Levine bucking the trend of putting multiplayer into everything by sticking with single player just like the original.